Power forward Rakeem Buckles, rehabbing from a second major knee injury, will be a part of the Florida International basketball team when he returns to the court and not the Louisville Cardinals.

Louisville announced Thursday that Buckles is transferring to FIU after playing parts of three seasons with the Cards.

Buckles will rehab his torn ACL during the NCAA-mandated year-in-residence for transfers. When he heals, Buckles will play for Richard Pitino, son of Louisville head coach Rick Pitino. Richard Pitino was an assistant on the Louisville staff this past season.

"Rakeem is one of my favorites during my tenure at Louisville," Rick Pitino said in the school's release. "He's just a fantastic young man who we wish great success at FIU. We will miss his personality and work ethic, but he is in good hands with Richard."

Buckles joins the list of veteran players to transfer out of Louisville in the past two seasons including Stephen Van Treese and Jared Swopshire this year, as well as George Goode a year ago.

Buckles, who is 6-7, 215, averaged 6.8 points and 6.1 rebounds in the 2010-11 season, which was both interrupted and ended by injury. He had a concussion and broken finger on the way to tearing his ACL for the first time in a late-Febuary game against Pitt.

Buckles is originally from Miami and played for FIU assistant Mark Lieberman at Monsignor Pace.